1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to telephone systems, and, more particularly to an automated access system preprogrammed to route a call or provide a specific class of service as a function of a PIN or ID number dialed by a caller.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A wide range of telephone connectivity exists today, including normal calls to remote handsets, to pagers, to mobile or cellular units and others. All of these forms of calling rely on a caller knowing the direct destination telephone number of the called or target party. For a wide population, including children, disabled people, the caller has no ability to dial or know where the party called is located. In some instances, the target or called party may not be accessible or may not be interested or be in a position to receive the call. Existing systems have also lacked the ability to screen calls 24-hours-a-day, no matter where the called party is located. In fact, existing systems have been deficient in providing called parties the flexibility to control the nature and time of the calls that they receive from specified callers or class of callers.
By way of example only, U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,135 discloses a preprogrammed automatic dialing device intended to enable consumers to automatically dial pre-programmed numbers associated with one or more sources of goods and/or services. While the dialing device is capable of dialing a target number, as are all portable dialers of this type, the Patent does not disclose an automated access system which provides the called or target party flexibility to modify or in any way control the class of service provided to the caller, or reroute the calls that are routed to him or her.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,882,750, a programmable dialer system is disclosed which is a low cost dialer without a key pad, so that the dialer is small and inexpensive and it can be given away as a xe2x80x9cgive-awayxe2x80x9d item. The dialer, however, as in the previous patent, can only be used for dialing a target number and the patent does not disclose a system for providing any routing flexibility.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,632 discloses a telephone dialer in the form of an emitting token. While the patent discloses a management computer, the objective of the disclosed invention is to provide a telephone service payment system for use in conjunction with placing of bets by telephone.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,182,767, an electronic telephone device is disclosed which does not include a keypad, but a single button, and is programmed to dial a predetermined number. The device is primarily concerned with being able to xe2x80x9cself destructxe2x80x9d when the period of validity has expired or when a set time limitation date has been reached so that the device is rendered ineffective and taken out of service.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,980,910, a portable automatic dialing unit is disclosed which does includes a keypad and is intended to operated in one of two modes of operation. In the first mode, it includes a registered target number, and in the second mode it includes data for special telephone services. While the dialer can transmit access codes through the telephone lines in addition to passwords and special service numbers, the device is primarily concerned with the ability to insert target telephone numbers in dial data for special telephone services. Also, the dialer is concerned with transmitting entire dial programmable destination, not service data whether the call is a general long distance call or a long distance call through special telephone service and can be serviced by any carrier such as by ATandT or MCI.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,313,035 teaches a system for re-routing calls, frequently referred to as xe2x80x9cperson locator servicesxe2x80x9d. These services were established primarily for use with dating services where the dialing of a central number and PIN number allow a call to be made to a given target telephone without knowing the telephone number of the target. Such a system is a form of call forwarding that the target or called party establishes a PIN number that can be used by more than one caller to access the target party at an established number or a re-routed number and to permit the calling party to receive status messages or make collect calls. While the PIN number assigned to a target subscriber may not be unique to that subscriber it does, in effect, become unique to a given subscriber when correlated by the system with a unique Personal Locator Number (PIN).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,098 discloses a device for automatically screening incoming calls. However, this involves the use of a caller ID screening device that must be viewed to see a display. Therefore, this patent discloses a conventional method of screening calls based on the use of a screening device attached to the receiving.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,563 discloses method and apparatus for accessing computerized data bases using touch-tone telephone equipment, the patent disclosing a system that makes use of ANI or PIN identification codes for purposes of callback.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,519, an autodialer is disclosed which includes a button for generating a PIN code, in order to avoid manual entry which may result in an unscrupulous observer memorizing the code. The autodialer is intended to be used in lieu of manual actuation of the keys in a telephone keypad. However, the autodialer works with any telephone system and is used to make conventional calls to any desired target telephone number.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an automated access system which can be conveniently used with a public or private telephone network.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an automated access system which can be used with automatic portable dialers for targeting one or a plurality of preprogrammed or user selectable target telephone numbers and/or classes of service.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a automated access system which can be useful for use by small children or physically handicapped people who need to call their home or an emergency number.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an automated access system which provides the target or recipient of the call flexibility in screening, taking or refusing to accept a call or re-routing same as a function of a PIN or ID number unique to a caller or class of callers.
It a further object of the present invention to provide an automated access system, as in the previous object in which the target or recipient has the flexibility to modify the instructions for routing the calls addressed to him or her for a given PIN or ID number of a caller or class of callers.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an automated access system of the type suggested in the previous objects, which enables automated conferencing or call back conferences between a caller and a target or recipient of a call after the initial call by the caller is terminated.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated access system suitable for retrieving pager messages.
In order to achieve the above objects, as well as other which will become apparent hereinafter, an automated access system in accordance with the present invention for use with a central station of a telephone network comprises a control station having a predetermined access telephone number. An optional dialer having a first storage means may be used for storing at least one telephone access number and at least one dialer identification number (ID) or personal identification (PIN) is provided. Manual switch means is provided for selectively actuating said dialer, and having tone signal generating means for converting said telephone access and I.D. numbers into DTMF or other tones upon actuation of said switch means for acoustically coupling said access and ID numbers into a handset of a telephone unit of the telephone network for communicating said numbers to the central station and connecting the caller telephone unit with said control station. Said control station includes second storage means for storing a programmed set of instructions, and routing means for routing the call or calls as a function of the programmed set of instructions, specifically a class of service or manner or processing of the call, for a received caller ID. The functions of the dialer, however, may be replaced by manual dialing by the caller on the calling telephone unit.
The method in accordance of the present invention, for use with the central station of a telephone network, comprises the steps of coupling telephone access and caller ID numbers into a handset of a caller telephone unit of a telephone network for communicating said numbers to the central station and connecting the caller telephone unit with a control station that includes a data base of programmed, and subscriber reprogrammable, instructions for processing a call based on the ID or PIN received by the control station from the handset of the caller telephone unit. The calls are routed as a function of the preprogrammed set of instructions stored at a control, station for a received caller PIN or ID number to provide a class of service or services, including re-routing of calls, and which can be modified at least by the subscriber call recipient or target of the call to change the handling of the incoming call as a function of the caller""s ID or PIN number.